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The Tibetan language is spoken in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and parts of northern India. There are three main Tibetan dialects: Amdo, Kham and U-Tsang, representing the three main political-economic areas of Tibet. Written Tibetan is a very conservative script originally from India. Its present form has been used since the 9th century -- it does not adequately represent present-day standard Tibetan pronunciation. Consequently, Tibetan is a challenging language to learn.

On Your Phone

If you are an independent learner and happen to own a smartphone, there are a variety of apps and podcasts available to help you along in your quest to learn Tibetan. These can help you learn the read and write the Tibetan alphabet, pronounce Tibetan sounds correctly and even teach you basic Tibetan vocabulary. There are also English-to-Tibetan dictionary apps available. One issue with just using your phone to learn is that you typically receive no authentic feedback from a native Tibetan speaker. However, another possibility exists -- the Tibetan Language Institute in Hamilton, Montana, offers both telephone lessons and group conference-call lessons with a highly experienced instructor.

Books

Some people prefer paper to pixels. If this is you, then you probably already know that there are literally thousands of books available to help you learn Tibetan. Amazon.com currently lists nearly 500 results when searching for the phrase "Tibetan language." Many of these books include audio CDs or MP3 files as part of their learning program so you're able to listen and correct your pronunciation. Again though, the weaknesses with this approach are you cannot get feedback from a native Tibetan speaker and you are limited by the vocabulary and grammar provided in your book.

Local Langauge Institutes and Colleges

Depending on where you live, there may be a language institute nearby which offers Tibetan language classes. These language and culture classes are typically held in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate both the teacher's and the learner's schedules. They will often have a text to accompany classroom instruction. One of your local colleges may offer Tibetan language classes as part of its continuing or adult education program, but this is typically dependent on location and city size -- the larger the city, the more likely you are to find Tibetan on the language learning menu.

Travel Abroad

For those who like to combine travel with learning, there are a variety of institutes in Nepal that offer language and culture classes ranging from several days to several months in length. One of the largest and best known of these, the Rangjung Yeshe Institute, has an enormous array of study options including both undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as online courses. Even though the cost may be prohibitive to many people, immersion in a culture and language is a fantastic way to not only learn a language, but also to apply it outside of the classroom and help enhance the learning experience.

About the Author

Based in Victoria, BC, Canada, Josh Hawthorne has been writing curriculum and digital project guides since 1998. He holds a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Victoria. Hawthorne freely admits he loves reading zombie literature and is currently working on a book about error correction for students learning English (without zombies).